Gluten Free Penne with Roasted Cauliflower and Butternut Squash Recipe
Updated May 27, 2020, Published Oct 09, 2011
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Fall is in the air. Yes, even here in Florida the temps have dropped into the high 70s (or low 80s). Not exactly sweater and boots weather but fall none the less.
It is time to say good bye to the lovely tomatoes and basil of summer and say hello to the hard squashes and cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli of fall.
Want me to let you in on a secret I have learned that will make people think you are a gluten-free rock star in the kitchen? Take some seasonal vegetables, roasted them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and toss with some good gluten-free pasta and an herb or two and voila! It is the simplicity that wows people and the fact that it is hardly any work at all is just a bonus (that we can just keep to ourselves).
I recently discovered a new gluten free pasta; Pastato Potato Penne from Maple Grove Gluten Free. It is made with potato and rice flours but enriched with quinoa flour, ground flax and psyllium husks for added fiber and best of all it tastes great and cooks up in about 7 minutes! Yes, that means that you can have this meal on the table in less than half an hour even if you feel the need to add a salad on the side.
This recipe is vegan but if you want to add some meat, just toss some thinly sliced Italian ham in at the end with the veggies. If dairy is not a dietary issue, a good grating of Parmesan cheese just before serving is spectacular.
So while it may be hard to tell by the weather here in Florida that autumn has arrived, when butternut squash is roasting in the oven and sage leaves are sizzling in (dairy free) butter you can be sure that fall has fallen!
Gluten Free Penne with Roasted Cauliflower and Butternut Squash Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups butternut squash cut into ¾ inch cubes
- 2 cups cauliflower, - cut into 1 inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt, - plus more for serving
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, - plus more for serving
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons olive oil – use divided
- 1 (8 ounce) box Pastato Potato Penne
- ¼ cup dairy free butter substitute
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Toss the butternut squash, cauliflower, salt, pepper and nutmeg with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast the vegetables, stirring occasionally for even browning, for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are browned and the squash is tender.
- Cook the pasta in heavily salted water for 7 minutes or until done. Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta and then return to the hot pot.
- Melt the dairy free butter substitute in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat until it starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the sage leaves, remove from heat and toss to coat.
- Add the roasted vegetables, reserved pasta water, sage leaves and browned butter substitute to the pan with the pasta and toss to coat. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Looks lovely Carol. So simple yet still elegant. This is my kind of dinner.
Thanks Kalinda, mine too!
Anxious to try this one. Super easy and all those great flavors. Thanks. Nancy
Thank you Nancy. I love dinner that is ready quickly and easily!
Beautiful dish, Carol! I guess you can do sweaters and boots when you are on travel to colder parts at least. ;-)
xo,
Shirley
Maybe I will don those boots this winter and come visit you :)
Carol, this pasta really does look simply BEAUTIFUL. I think it has something to do with the complementing light color palette of the penne, cauliflower, and squash… And then add the dash of dark sage and sprinkle of pepper and they make it pop! When I make this, I’m afraid I’ll get more caught up in a pre-eating photo shoot! And then it will get cold and defeat the purpose of having a toasty, Autumn dish… Ah well… :)
I know what you mean Desi, I often get a bit caught up in the photo shoot part. But then again I ofetn eat the food before I can shoot it! LOL
Thanks Carol, this is right up my alley!! I love pasta and veggies – many a night I eat an all veggie dinner. I can’t wait to make this. I need to find this brand of pasta – it sounds great. I love the flours in the pasta – the only new thing to me is psyllium husks. I also put some olive oil in the water when I cook pasta and it comes out great. Living in Florida I know what you mean – it is Fall here, we are in Fall clothes and it is high 70’s and low 80’s but we love it. :-)
I like to eat a veggie meal at least once a week – I am leaning into a more meatless diet and I love it. I will take our 70 degree falss over some peoples snowy winters! :)
mmm, I love cauliflower and butternut squash. Great pasta dish, Carol!
Thanks Cara!
What a lovely combination. The butternut is nice and creamy when you bite into it too, yumm…
Exactly!
This is the perfect pasta for the fall harvest season!
Here’s another way to use up that prolific kale we’ve all got in our gardens!
Polenta Gratin with Kale and Cremini Mushrooms…and wheat free!
https://wp.me/puWta-fY
Great blog by the way!
We had a birthday dinner at my in-laws for my husband’s uncle last night. My MIL saw this recipe in my roundup last week, and asked if I would make it as a vegetarian entree. It got rave reviews all around. :)
Yay! It is always a good thing when the MIL is happy :)